Dinner Table Politics

Another session of the Utah State Legislature is almost complete. Lawmakers did a number of disappointing things this session, including changing ballot initiatives and fumbling an ill-conceived tax overhaul. But perhaps the most disappointing thing that happened was the derailing of a ban on conversion therapy due to Rep. Karianne Lisonbee and Governor Herbert watering down a bill that was unopposed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which prompted Equality Utah's director Troy Williams to resign from the state's Suicide Prevention Task Force. Abby and Jim discuss the history and future of conversion therapy - Sigmund Freud does not come across well - and also debate what anatomical terms are appropriate for a family-oriented podcast.  See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim finally talk about what everyone's talking about - and no, it's not Khloe Kardashian and some guy named Tristan that Jim's never heard of. It's the Michael Cohen testimony! Will it bring down Trump? (No.) Jim applies lessons from Wonder Woman's husband and stock price analogies to explain why Trump's approval ratings have actually gone up since the testimony. Senator Rand Paul is voting against Trump's emergency declaration, though. Will that matter? (Probably not, no. Sorry.) See our website for privacy information.

The Utah State Legislature is almost done with its legislative session! Abby and Jim review some interesting developments happening local, such as a bill to get rid of straight party voting, changes to voter initiatives, and how delegates elect candidates. (Bernie Sanders comes up at the end.) Jim also reviews his brush with scandal during his father's 2010 campaign and Abby provides an excellent synopsis of an episode of The Office. See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim break down President Trump's national emergency declaration and recount the history of previous presidential action going back to the National Emergencies Act signed by Gerald Ford back in 1976. Is Trump misusing his power? How expensive is the wall? What did the late Sen. Bob Bennett mean by "budget dust?" The wall is creating both physical and political divisions, which have manifested themselves in the Jussie Smollett debacle. This series of unfortunate events also allows Abby to discuss the book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and its subsequent adaptations. Plus: Jim sings with a cold!See our website for privacy information.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal has been endorsed by several presidential hopefuls, but is it a good idea? Abby agrees in principle, but Jim worries that it's too expensive and accomplishes nothing. Abby and Jim then recount the mess surrounding the GND rollout, with AOC previously insisting that an FAQ posted on her site referencing "farting cows" and economic security for people "unwilling to work" was just a Republican hoax. (It wasn't.) Jim also recounts AOC's faulty campaign finance reasoning, and Abby laments that Kanye hasn't tweeted anything since the beginning of the year.See our website for privacy information.

Donald Trump's big speech! How did he do? Abby and Jim break it down, including all the shout-outs to Buzz Aldrin and other celebrities in the audience as Abby assures us that the moon actually exists. Where did Trump succeed? (In highlighting abortion extremism.) Where did he fall flat? (In calling for an end to investigations.) And does Trump know what he's talking about when he says America isn't a socialist country? Also, how can he complain about illegal immigrants ruining the economy after bragging about how great the economy is?See our website for privacy information.

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, is teasing a possible independent candidacy for president. How well have third-party presidential candidates done in the past? (Abraham Lincoln did pretty well.) Jim tells Abby stories of H. Ross Perot, and how Abby's grandfather made a $10,000 bet with him in a Senate hearing. Learn what happened to the Reform Party he founded, and how it was essentially killed by a former speechwriter for Richard Nixon who flirted with holocaust denial. Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax also comes under scrutiny, and Jim describes the first time he heard a wealth tax proposal - from Donald J. Trump.  See our website for privacy information.

Recorded on Martin Luther King Day, this episode of Dinner Table politics recounts MLK's time as a Trekkie, and how the civil rights leader persuaded Nichelle Nichols to keep playing Lt. Uhura. (The geeky nature of this story does not make Abby very happy.) Jim and Abby also discuss the fallout from the Covington School encounter with Native American protestors that demonstrated just how far we have to go to fulfill Dr. King's dream. President Trump's (short) visit to the MLK Memorial also gets a mention, and both Jim and Abby identify their least favorite DC monument. And who really is fourth in command of the Enterprise? See our website for privacy information.

Did the dinosaurs have politics? That's just one of the insightful questions Abby asks as Jim and Abby discuss the fallout from what is now the longest government shutdown in history. Who can save us from this national nightmare? Probably not Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who seems to think that being morally right excuses being factually incorrect. Jim and Abby discuss where AOC is wrong and where she is right, as in her schooling of former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on marginal tax rates. Also learn why Anderson Cooper is the nation's uncle, but only on his mother's side. And which Carolina is Lindsay Graham from? The answer probably won't surprise you. See our website for privacy information.

Why are you running for office? It's a question every politician is asked, and very few have a good answer. Abby thinks there's only two reasons: money and power. Jim recalls Mitt Romney's answer when he ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, and he breaks down Elizabeth Warren's most recent answer, which is that she's trying to stop billionaires from taking everything for themselves. This leads to a discussion of capitalism, communism, gravity, and why all economic wisdom is encapsulated in the Parable of the Rolling Stones. See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim make predictions for 2019, but neither predicted that Mitt Romney would come out swinging against Donald Trump in a scathing op-ed in the Washington Post. Jim predicts that there are rough times ahead and laments that our president, supposedly a great businessman, doesn't have the first clue about basic economics. We also review the history of Bill Clinton's "It's the Economy, Stupid" and finally find out what T.A.R.P. stands for. (The T does not stand for Titus, our fat dog who kept barking at the dinner table.) See our website for privacy information.

In preparation for the New Year, Abby and Jim clean up after 2018. From the lowlights - Donald Trump shutting down the government over the wall Mexico won't pay for to his conversation with a 7-year-old' "marginal" belief in Santa Claus - to the highlights, notably the president's surprise visit to Iraq. We also discuss the disconnect between a Democratic Party that wants someone entirely new and/or Joe Biden, Mitt Romney's decision to only run for one term, and why people on both sides are obsessed with Ruth Bader Ginsburg's health. Plus: Jim does, in fact, know who the Notorious B.I.G. is. See our website for privacy information.

Abby is buried in finals, so her cousin Steven Prawitt joins Jim to discuss the Republican gamesmanship that's putting the country on the brink of another government shutdown. Jim tells his nephew how that didn't work out well for Newt Gingrich and the Republicans in '94, or for Ted Cruz and Mike Lee in 2011, and it won't help Trump get his wall in 2018, either. Then Eliza joins the podcast to discuss how Christmas won the "War on Christmas" and how William Shatner's defense of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" probably isn't a good idea. Then, at the very end, Eliza tells everyone what the real reason for the season is. (Hint: She was born December 26th.) See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim discuss Donald Trump's deepening legal woes as Robert Mueller's long-running investigation draws closer to a conclusion. How much trouble is Trump really in? Can a sitting president be indicted? Can he pardon himself? And why is every federal building in West Virginia named after former Klu Klux Klansman Robert C. Byrd? (It's all related.) Abby also learns about her family legacy and how Richard Nixon played the piano at her grandfather's 75th birthday party. Plus - the correct way to pronounce Robert Mueller's name. (Hint: Ferris Bueller fans will be sorely disappointed.) See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim discuss the passing of George H.W. Bush, which calls to mind Abby's policy disagreements with our 41st president, as well as the misunderstood history of the broken "No New Taxes" pledge and the mislabeling of the World War II hero as a "wimp." Jim takes the occasion to recall the thoughtfulness and personal kindnesses of former President Bush, his penchant for handwritten letters, and the importance of basic human decency in the Oval Office. See our website for privacy information.

Space: The Final Frontier! Abby only lets Jim say that once, although a second mention sneaks in near the end of the podcast. This was recorded minutes after NASA's InSight spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars, and Abby and Jim discuss the significance of that accomplishment, as well as the history of America's space program, including the Cold War competition that got us to the moon first and, so far, last. The future of space travel also comes into focus, as does Elon Musk's prediction that there's a "70% chance" the he will personally travel to Mars. Also, who did astronaut Buzz Aldrin punch in the face?  See our website for privacy information.

Happy Thanksgiving from Dinner Table Politics! Abby and Jim discuss the history of Thanksgiving in America, notably the first pardoned turkey inspired by Abraham Lincoln's youngest and "dumpiest" son. (We didn't make that up.) We also explore the fate of 21st Century turkeys that don't live long after their moment of glory on the White House lawn. Discussions of what we're thankful for lead to a conversation about whether or not Jim Acosta and CNN have a constitutional right to a White House press pass, and we conclude with a really strange joke about a giant orange head to kick off your Thanksgiving celebration. See our website for privacy information.

The votes are (mostly) all in, and Abby and Jim discuss the trends going forward. What are the demographic characteristics that best determine how someone will vote? (Hint: Its not Zodiac signs, as Abby incorrectly guessed.) Why did only 1/2 of millennials show up to the polls? Which is worse - voter fraud or voter suppression, and are either of them really happening? See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim, live from the United Utah Party Election Night Headquarters! The Democrats win the House; the Republicans keep the Senate. What does this mean for the country? Also, Utah sends a Democrat to DC, Mitt Romney wins but doesn't dominate, and the Beehive State approves medical marijuana. And is Ted Cruz really the Zodiac Killer? See our website for privacy information.

Abby and Jim discuss the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the MAGA bomber and why entrenched racism and partisan hatred show no signs of going away. What will this mean for the upcoming midterm elections? What does "Braceros" mean in Spanish? And what does Apu from The Simpsons have anything to do with all this?See our website for privacy information.